Black Lagoon

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. Orihime was always well prepared. Sorel herself tended to travel light and improvise. It was a tactic that almost got her killed more than once – although she’d counter that not being encumbered had possibly saved her life as many times.

“You look like you’ve got everything we need there,” she said, smiling at her friend. “And yes, I’m quite ready. I like preparation but I prefer action.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at her with a nod of her head, there where she would be able to work with it. Setting herself up to succeed and prepare in a nicer and more interesting way. Orihime had all of the supplies loaded on there and she was bringing up some of the information on her wrist datapad. "As do I, we got it all prepared for ourselves and this trip." Orihime moved taking a little to eat of the soup when she went back towards the ship and they had the new information from the station, supplies, a destination for now that they could go and see before she checked out the ship. She was a sturdy one that they would be able to use, something running around here. "Your ship, lets get out there and have the fun and adventure jedi are known for."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

She beamed when Orihime suggested they were ready to go. “Fun and adventure sound just the ticket, but I’d settle for neutral and uneventful – as long as we’re moving.” That wasn’t precisely true – and she knew that Orihime knew her well enough to understand that.

She pulled a ration bar out of her pocket and took a mouthful. “Glad to try all these new flavours. This one is…” she closed her eyes and chewed slowly. “Actually I can’t tell,” she shared as she re-opened her eyes. “It’s savoury and spicy and really nice – with a hint of sweetness, but it could be anything really.” She glanced at the wrapper. “A synthesised protein substitute for chicken, flavoured with curry paste, flaked almonds, raisins, and crème fraiche!”

“I like it!”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She knew it, the food was there and there was so much more for all fo them to eat. The flavors were made so the jedi could indulge but it was rations, it was easy to have things in the field and they could use them to feed all of the people here. With a small grin on her face. "Oh yes, these one that i got are tangy and tasty." She saw the screen bringing up the course to go in Sorel's ship with a nod. "Ready to go and explore some ancient species planet that might have a knowledge center no one else can compete with and might have ancient defenses no one else knows what they will find." She was uncertain what might be there but meeting some of the gree there she would be able to get a few more ideas along the way and they could use the chance to train some force skills.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel finished off the ration bar, listening to Orihime. It was odd, but when you listened to a mission through someone else’s perception, it could invariably sound rather scary.

“A planet that may or may not exist, defended by unknown defences that may have no counter – or even warning they exist, all to find that some data may or may not exist – and if it does, it is in a format that we can access and understand.”

Sorel laughed, “When you put it like that, what’s not to sign up for!”

“And anyhow, we have a couple of Holocrons that we can work with as we make our way there.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime gave her a nod as they had holocrons and what they had been taught by their masters... or just learned how to do. One or two fo the skills might not be as easy to use skill wise here. Generating the force only worked on the planets but it was beneficial if you knew how to do it. "Holocrons sound good, we can work on some more of the techniques like resistance the sentinels use or some of the small training kits. My mom made it to better teach how to purge intoxicants from you and it is mostly safe, I mean there is a risk but.... it is just a low grade alcohol so headaches afterwards. or some of the tablets that give you dry mouth and might make you cry."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel considered Orihime’s words. For some time, she’d grown to rely on the bracelet her Master – Orihime’s mother – had given her. “You know something, using the Force to do what I rely on technology to provide for me? That sounds a sound plan. And it’s not like I’ve never drunk ale before, so I know what alcohol can do to you. But I guess you don’t mean beer – I’m supposing you mean actual alcohol. And I can cope with crying, I think.”

“Actually,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “I can’t remember the last time I cried.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at her and she scented it with a nod of her head where she was unable to see it. Wanting to not really taste it until she spoke. "I haven't cried in a long time either, there isn't a lot that can get it to go all waterworks." She was looking to see some more of it there holding one fo the bottles. "It might not be perfect or get your drunk like some others but for training purposes it can work. I guess it can also work well to teach you for missions if you have to drink or risk something bad happening." She was ready to try it and set all of her stuff out for training as there were some crystals and the channeling gloves to better practice with the force energy in your hands.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel removed her bracelet. She was instantly struck how cold the ship was – it was a surprise and she wondered how many planets she’d visited that were uncomfortable but that she was able to deal with due to her Master’s gift.

And given one of its other benefits was to filter toxins, she knew she wouldn’t be much of an experiment unless she took it off.

“I’m ready. Hit me with whatever you want first.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at it and she took a sip of the drink and it was fruity but there there was the sharp burn of it in the back of your throat even though it was cold. Her eyes closed tightly squeezing them closed before handing it to Sorel and she stood there in the casual robe. crossing her legs in the one seat while she was getting ready for it and what they might be able to do. "I am ready, we'll drink this and then focus on trying to not feel all fo the effects or the flavor that is staying on the back of my tongue." She dind't like it but she also wasn't going to say the flavor of the fruit wasn't horrible it was just that after burn that was not sitting well with her when she had a small smile.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel didn’t need to be an Empath to understand that whatever Orihime was about to drink was distasteful. She wondered which was worse – drinking it first, now knowing what it might taste of – or second, already knowing it would be disgusting.

Sorel decided that race was a dead heat and simply took the container and took a sip too. It was clearly alcohol related. Not the burn of something that was smooth and had been distilled with your taste buds in mind. No this was only a small step up from aviation fuel in Sorel’s experience. That berry-esque flavouring didn’t make it any better.

Sorel took a deep breath before speaking. “How long before we feel something?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"I don't know." This wasn't made to get padawans drunk which was kind of a problem.. it was made for themt o use it and be able to feel something but it was kind of like medicine. There but below the suface mostly harmless. She would have to work with it and went to sit down still tasting it in her mouth as she sat there crossing her legs. her hands going to her knees, focused and ready listening to her body as she had her eyes half lidded and closed to meditate and quiet her mind. The force energies all around her and she could feel it coming over her like a blanket. "I think that it is, like my eye lids are heavy and my mouth is a little numb." She was uncertain about it but it seemed like something to try and purge from her body.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

“Medicine?” Sorel said as the awful taste remained in the back of her throat. The fact that the taste was not going to be as bad as the effects was, if anything, even less positive news.

Sorel jumped up and down and did a few jumping jacks too. “I heard that exercise tends to speed up things getting into your bloodstream,” she said before sitting opposite Orihime in a cross-legged position.

She closed her eyes and meditated briefly, connecting to the Force deeply. Opening her eyes once more she nodded as Orihime spoke. “I feel than numbness but moreover I feel odd. Like there is something in my body that is alien and it is dangerous. It’s a little like being warned by the Force but it isn’t quite the same. It’s like my body is telling me to expunge it, not that it seems to know how.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at her when she had a look on her face there. She had to agree it felt like there was something there in her body when she looked to ake sure it was focusing the energies. She breathed in and out as her mother voice came up when she pressed the button. "The art of detoxing your body is to first get something in it. Once that is done find a comfortable position and let your mind go blank. Allow your body to tell you where it is and start to focus the energies. Inhaling the force and from the core of your body push it outwards to clean and focus all of the energies of your body. From your breathing to the beat of your heart where the blood pumps through your body. Follow that path to let the force drive out and push the toxins in your body.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and reflected that this approach was in common with her studies, a blend of existing abilities. She regularly found they overlapped.

Meditation was often at the core – for it gave an awareness of the Force entering your body and gave you the opportunity to direct its help. This was true of Force Valor for example and Force Heal too. But whereas she was currently only able to do some emergency field medicine using the Force, this felt like the next level.

So she settled into a cross-legged position and allowed the Force to flow through her, to the point where they almost become one. She felt the Force in her muscles and in her mind and finally felt it course through her veins. And then she allowed her empty mind to seek the source of the toxin. It was in her blood stream, that message was loud and clear.

But she was less sure how the Force was going to deal with it. She considered trying to ‘push’ the toxins out of her system, but she could not work out where she might push them to. So instead she allowed the Force to find the individual cells of the toxin and – much as she had used Force Light – she allowed the Force to surround each cell and neutralise it. It felt like a slow process but she remained in a meditative state as she awaited the outcome of the exercise.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was focusing the meditation and the force energies as she sat there. Looking to let all of the energies come to her for where she might be able to breathe as the voice continued to speak. "Now detoxing your body is two fold, as you can't focus and meditate while vomiting and getting the toxins out so you have to neutralize it. Your body will handle it, allowing your body to process it faster and you will be able to recover from the effects on your system. Mix this with techniques to control your breathing for toxin gasses and you can protect yourself in some bars or facilities." The voice remained there until she looked over with the force her own body and was focusing on it. Neutralizing the alcohol in her bloodstream when slowly she started to feel her body again how it used to be.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a great believer in trial and error. She would practise and practise until she got something right. Sometimes she got things straight away and other times she struggled and hd to try a number of ways to approach a problem.

Fortunately, she’d got this one right. And it made sense the way her Master explained it. It was one thing to control actions when you were calm and in a normal meditative state. But when you were distressed and you mind was not clear, you needed something of an auto-pilot approach. And directing the Force to neutralise was a lot easier than trying to coral foreign bodies in your system and having to manoeuvre them somewhere.

And as Sorel listened, her body began to feel normal again. She’d not realised how odd it have become until she moved away from the sensations – nausea, poor balance, a headache and an overwhelming desire to eat rubbish food!

She looked at Orihime. “Is that was alcohol does to you? Really? So why do people drink to excess?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime thought about it and. "I think this is not a good example of it or at least something made for training and being able to get less of the effects. Numbness and euphoria might be possible." There were many type of alcohol in different cultures and rubbing alcohol was used by the doctors to clean and prevent infections. So there was uses for it, this was just for them to feel it and not be harmed from excessive use. "I don't think I would want to drink that daily or as the normal but if on a mission it was required." She wasn't worried about it until she sat there though not wanting to get up quickly shaking and rubbing her head itself. "The burn in the back of my throat is still there though."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened to Orihime. “Numbness and euphoria? Now there’s an interesting combination. And I’m with you, that was neither a taste or an experience I’d readily replicate. Not unless it was necessary. And does that mean that people choose to drink alcohol in order to replicate those effects? Really?”

She shook her head incredulously. She knew this was not a typical sample of alcohol, but the generic effects were consistent with the research.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at Sorel and she had to agree, it was something that she wouldn't be able to understand but they had a better idea of how to do it, they had the idea of how to protect and defend themselves so that she would get to work on the force. There were some other training aids there with them when she pulled out some bracers and there was the technical side of it as she spoke. "Oh I remember these, my mother Chora used them to train when you need more resistance. They are gravity tech that lets you make it heavier or lighter depending so you can work out in a small area and practice with the force to enhance your strength." She said it while she went over with some parts holding the other equipment. Their course and the chrono was ticking the course away.